The Tesseract
by Tess Phoenix
Summary: She can't remember who she is or where she's from, but he keeps haunting her mind and S.H.E.I.L.D won't let her out of their sight. She'll do anything to escape their grasp and learn what she can about herself. Switches between OC and Loki POVs. After Loki and Thor's return to Asgard. (please excuse sudden switches between POVs in some chapters)
1. Chapter 1

My blurred vision cleared, though it was still black around the edges. A fit of coughs wracked my body and pain shot through every part of it. I lay still in the unfamiliar surroundings, breathing heavily. The sound of my heartbeat filled my ears. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't manage to release any tears. The memory of whatever had happened before faded from my memory… The glowing men pushing me off the side… The million colors flashing before my eyes… Everything faded quickly. Wait…

…Who am I?

A bright light greeted when I opened my eyes. I squinted, my vision clearing. A dull pain throbbed in the back of my head and in every part of my body pain could reach. I coughed the pain sharpening. My head fell back onto the pillow and I groaned as the light on the ceiling bore into my eyes, not helping my headache at all. I looked around. I was in a bed with straps holding my arms and legs down under the blankets. A long white curtain enclosed the space around me, giving me some privacy, though I wasn't sure what I'd need privacy from.

The sound of a door opening startled me and I let out a strange sound that was supposed to be a gasp, but came out weird. The curtain was pushed aside and a man walked up beside me. He had kind blue eyes and thinning blondish-white hair. He looked at me with amazed look on his aging face.

"You're awake," he said, the amazement clear in his voice. Unable to say anything, I nodded. "Incredible." He looked at a screen beside the bed that I hadn't noticed before. Wire reached out from it and under the blankets. I wiggled my arm under the strap and could feel the wires attached to my left hand. I didn't know what they were for, but I didn't like it. He looked at me. "Can you say anything?" I wanted to know myself, but didn't dare. I didn't know him and didn't trust him.

"Selvig," said a voice from the door. A dark skinned man with an eye patch over his right eye stood in the doorway. I was able to see most of him through the space between the wall and the curtain. "Is she awake?" The man called 'Selvig' nodded. The dark skinned man walked in. He was tall and very intimidating. He looked at me curiously with his good eye.

"She's full of gamma radiation," Selvig reported to him, "I haven't seen anything like it since the tesseract was still on earth." Tesseract. That word seemed to ring a bell in my mind, though I didn't know why. "It shouldn't be possible for someone to have that much radiation in them."

"Is she giving any off?" the one-eyed man asked.

"No, she's safe for now. She hasn't said anything, so I don't know if she has any clue what gamma radiation is." Now that he mentioned it, I didn't know what that stuff was. If I was full of it, it wasn't affecting me. I think.

"Who are you?" the one-eyed man asked plainly. It was clear he wanted a reply, but from my empty mind, it was hard to find one. I swallowed to dampen my dry throat, but it seemed my mouth was dry as well.

"I-I don't know," I stammered, my voice as dry as my throat.

"Can you remember anything?" Selvig asked. I shook my head, my brain throbbing. The two men looked at each other.

"If she remembers anything, tell me right away," the one-eyed man said and left the room. Selvig checked the screen one last time and then looked back at me.

"Don't hesitate to tell me if you do remember anything. We're your friends here." He gave me a small smile and left as well. My mind was blank. It'd be a miracle if I did remember anything. The only thing I could think of was all the pain I was going through. I decided the best option was sleep for now. I couldn't do much more, strapped to the bed and all. I closed my eyes and drifted off quickly, my mind fading into the realm of sleep.

Him. He haunted my mind like a ghost torturing my thoughts. His cold green eyes seemed to bore into my mind, though I knew he wasn't real. Or was he? A few small trinkets of what could have been memories echoed through my dream. I remembered him standing there, holding onto something that I was apparently in. I could see him through the clear glass, his face littered with cuts and bruises and an awful looking muzzle covering his mouth. I shuddered at the thought of wearing it myself, though I knew I was asleep. He looked at me as if trying to tell me something through his eyes. The thing I was in moved and the world behind him turned into a thousand colors, all stretching upward. This all seemed so familiar, but the only thing that was truly clear was him.

"It burns you to have me in your head doesn't it?" His voice echoed behind me and I turned, the images I saw disappearing. "You have no clue who you are, nor any about the identity of me."

"I have a feeling you won't tell me either," I said, or thought, though it was starting to feel less like a dream. A smirk appeared on his face, giving me the clear answer to my question.

"You'll know soon enough, and when you do, you'll wish you hadn't remembered at all." A sharp pain shot through my head and everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

He opened his eyes. The cold, unwelcoming cell greeted his vision once again. He could his breath collecting against the inside of the muzzle across his mouth. He was home; well, sort of. Being in a jail cell didn't really qualify as home, but he was no longer on that pitiful planet called Earth. The reality that he hadn't given the tesseract to the Other stung him.

The tesseract. That girl he had spoken to in his dream. It all came to him at once. He knew she had a close relationship to the tesseract, but he didn't know how or why she did. Though, it had been fun to taunt her. She probably didn't expect him coming into her dreams like that. He hadn't been able to do much after returning to Asgard and being chained up.

He sat up straight from leaning against the wall behind him just as the loud stomps of boots echoed through the dungeon. The familiar face of Thor came into view, angry and fixed on Loki. Loki sat there calmly, not knowing what Thor was there for, but it probably wasn't for a good reason. The guards with Thor unlocked the cell door and walked in. They removed Loki's muzzle so that the two could speak to each other.

"Where is it Loki?" he asked sternly, "Where's the tesseract?" Loki gave out an amused laugh, though it sounded a bit odd from lack of use of his voice.

"How am I supposed to know? I have been in here, unable to do anything. Why so sure I did anything with it?" Thor grabbed the back of Loki's neck and Loki stiffened slightly.

"You've been around it the most. You chased after it on earth. It's missing. Do you know where it is?" Loki just smirked.

"I have no idea." Thor released his grip on Loki, but kept his eyes fixed on him. After a moment, Thor and the guards left, locking the door once again behind them. Loki's smirk faded and his shoulders slumped. Still not out of the cell. But an interesting mystery was beginning and Loki wanted in on it. With the tesseract's disappearance and his connection to that girl through his dreams, maybe there was a chance he could weasel his way out of the cell and possibly return to earth. It may have been pitiful, but there were answers there waiting to be found.

* * *

"Welcome to the S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier," Nick Fury introduced, leading me into the control station of the floating headquarters. I had woken about an hour ago and Erik Selvig, the man who had checked in on me earlier, loosened the straps that held me down and gave me a change of clothes. He and Nick had introduced themselves and Nick had taken it upon himself to give me a tour so I wouldn't get lost if I happened to wander around. Though, he did say I'd be under constant supervision. Wouldn't want gamma radiation leaking out of me and affecting anyone onboard.

"Nice view," I said, walking onto the circular glass pad on the floor. I could see the clouds beneath my feet and it was pretty cool.

"This is the control room," he explained. "We monitor everything that happens onboard here. So, if you happen to sneak off into a room that's marked off for instance, we'll know." I nodded, still staring at the clouds out the window. I didn't plan to go far. With my empty memory, who knows all the stuff I could have forgotten? I may not remember how to turn a doorknob or turn on the tap in a sink. That wouldn't be good…

"So, the reason I'm here is because…?" I asked trailing off. "I know about the whole radiation thing, but I'm not leaking any or anything."

"That may be so, but we can't have an amnesiac, radiation filled girl running through the streets." I smiled. Wouldn't that be fun?

Nick took me all over the Helicarrier. I saw the labs, the launch pad, the bedrooms, everything. I made sure I remembered how to open a door and turn on a sink, which thankfully, I never really needed to worry about in the first place. He showed me the planes and the weapons room, which he warned me was off limits except with his permission. I could see he didn't want be running off with a big old laser gun in my hands, shooting people left and right. He led me back to my room and said I was free to roam around. I decided not to for the time being. I'd probably be stalked by soldiers anyway. I walked into my room and shut the door behind me. It was a plain cabin with a small window and a bed off to the side. I sat on it and looked at myself in the mirror on the wall in front of me. I had long auburn hair that curled a bit at the ends and bright blue eyes that almost didn't seem real. My skin was pale and I looked like I hadn't seen the sun in a while. I sighed. Who was I? I desperately wanted to know and the answer wouldn't come. It's like my brain hated me and was keeping secrets from me.

"Tesseract," I said to myself quietly. "Tesseract, tesseract, tesseract!" I screamed the last word, gripping the edge of my bed. A sudden surge of anger overcame me. That one stupid word! It seemed so familiar, yet I couldn't remember anything about it! Why? Why couldn't I remember? The sudden anger made me scream in rage. A part of me was angry, angry at myself for not remembering and angry at that man from my dreams that wouldn't tell me. Another part was desperately wondering why I was so angry. Was I losing my mind so soon? I grabbed my arms and bent over, staring at the floor, an odd sensation coming over me. It felt like a weird tingling feeling growing inside me, spreading through my limbs quickly. I shut my eyes and saw strange blue patterns and shapes on the insides of my eyelids. Then, like an involuntary action, I sat up straight and pulled my arms back, a huge force of blue energy erupting from me. The mirror smashed and so did the window. Small items were suctioned out of the broken window, disappearing into the clouds below. I panted heavily; feeling like something had sucked the energy out of me. The anger was gone, but I was tired and felt so strange from that event.

The door to my room was kicked open and a few soldiers came in. Nick was behind them.

"What happened?" he asked in alarm. I gave him a bewildered look.

"I-I don't know." I tried to get up, but my muscles refused to let me move. One of the guards picked me up under my arms and legs and carried me out. As he did, I looked at my right hand with shock. The veins were glowing blue, now fading slowly. I watched as the blue light died from the veins and kept staring at it from bewilderment and shock. My mind tried to register what just happened, but it was all too confusing to tell. Before I knew it, I had passed out from exhaustion in the soldiers arms.


	3. Chapter 3

I dreamt again. This time I hurtled through space, stars whizzing by me. In the distance I saw a large cloud in the center of a galaxy. The arms of the galaxy stretched wide, sparkling every color you could think of. I entered the cloud and entered the world inside. It was made of buildings that shone gold and streets you could see your reflection in. I landed in one of the streets and saw my reflection: I was a cube. A glowing cube. That didn't seem right. I was human, not some odd looking cube.

The world moved around me and I realized someone had picked me up. He held me so I could see his face. It was wrinkled with age and his hair had faded to white. His kind blue eyes seemed so familiar, but like everything else that had seemed familiar, I didn't know why.

"Odin," a voice said, echoing through the dream. It all darkened like the dream from before and I turned. He stood there again, same as last time and just as clear like he was really standing in front of me. Same green eyes, same dark hair.

"Odin?" I repeated. "You mean that man I saw?"

"Former king of Asgard. His son has taken over ruling." He spat out the word 'son' like it was full of venom. I could tell he clearly had something against whoever Odin's son was.

"Why was the former king of Asgard in my dream?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"That is not for me to say." A sly smirk appeared on his face. "Though, I can say that you are special. You are the key to my escape." His last words jolted me awake. They echoed in my mind as I sat up. I was back at S.H.I.E.L.D, lying on the floor of an empty room. No, more like a type of cage. I stood up and looked around. I was surrounded by green tinted glass that circled around me. Judging from my reflection in the glass, I was a mess. My clothes were ripped and my hair messily covered half of my face.

"Nick!" I shouted, "Get me out of here!" A bit of panic set in, but I held it in trying to stay calm.

"You aren't going anywhere." He walked in, standing directly in front of the glass. Do you know what you've done?" I looked at him, holding in the worry that was trying to claw its way out. I had to stay calm. He continued. "You destroyed an entire room as well as jamming most of our communications. That radiation inside of you is getting out and we can't have these men infected."

"And this cage is supposed to keep them safe from me?" I asked suspiciously. "What was this built for?"

"Something powerful," he said firmly. "You fit that description." He walked away leaving me alone. I looked around and noticed a dark sphere just outside of the cage, a few meters from where I stood. A security camera. They could watch my every move, not like I'd be very entertaining. I sat in the small chair in the cell and hugged my right knee to my chest. Maybe daydreaming would take my mind off the situation I was in. I closed my eyes.

I saw the cage from the outside, but there was a man inside. He held a large hammer and was looking at me with a sort of angry look. The feeling of accomplishment made me swell with pride. I turned my head and saw my hand- no, wait, that wasn't _my _hand- hovering over a large red button. I, or whoever I was, pushed the button. The cage with the man in it shot downward and disappeared. I jolted forward and was on my hands and knees on the floor panting heavily. If that had been a memory, it wasn't mine. I stood up and looked at the glass. From that daydream, I saw a crack on the glass in front of the man in the cage.

"I could break it," I mumbled to myself, pressing my hand against the glass. My eyes wandered over to the control panel and saw the red button. If anyone pushed that, the cage would fall. What would happen after that was a mystery to me. I hit the glass with my fist, but I didn't seem to have any effect. I kept hitting it, but not a scratch showed on its surface.

_Get angry. _I thought I heard the man from my dreams' voice. I blinked, thinking for a moment. My rage grew against Nick for throwing me into that thing. I couldn't have controlled myself! My anger grew like a flame and the familiar tingling feeling spread through me once again. I glared at my reflection in the glass and with a shout of furiousness, I punched the glass, my hands glowing blue. It cracked. I heard a loud noise and then the sound of rushing air. I knew what was going to happen next. I saw Nick Fury come and see the break in the glass just as the cage plummeted toward the ground.

* * *

He could feel everyone's eyes all focused on him. The room was filled with an angry silence. In a way, in unnerved him, but he kept his calm. He was good at that.

"Loki Laufeyson," Odin's voice boomed, echoing through the room. "You are accused with murder of people of an innocent race, intent to destroy a civilization, attempt to kill Thor Odinson, releasing Laufey the frost giant into Asgard, and unjust rule while I was asleep. What do you have to say?" Loki locked eyes with Thor, his stepbrother. Instead of the hate he had expected to see before, worry only filled his eyes. Loki had been surprised before, but now he knew Thor still cared about him. They'd done everything together when they were young. Loki had cast that aside, but Thor hadn't.

"Yes, I did all these things, but for a purpose. As your son, I loved you as a father." He turned to the crowd that sat around him. "I loved him, but I knew I was different. As a child, I was made fun of by other children. But Thor, my brother, protected me. Forever, I was in the shadow of his accomplishments. It wasn't until Thor had been cast to earth that I found out I was the son of Laufey the frost giant." Hatred and anger filled Loki's eyes as he looked back at Odin. Surprised whispers rippled through the crowd, but Odin's expression remained the same. "I thought that my attack on that petty planet would show you that I can rule just as well as him." Loki pointed at Thor.

"That attack on Earth only showed how incapable you are of ruling," Odin bellowed before Thor could reply. "As punishment, you are to be stripped of your powers and you will become a servant to Thor. If you say anything against it, you will be beaten publicly. That is all." Loki gritted his teeth angrily as Odin got up and walked away. Two guards grabbed him by the arms and led him away. He saw Thor look at him and then at the direction his father had gone. Loki turned his head away. He knew Thor would try to convince his father against the decision, but Odin wouldn't change his mind. He hated frost giants and Loki had shown that he was just like them.

Loki was led back to his cell and locked in once again. The guards gave him a disgusted look as they walked away. Thor's servant? They would both hate that just as much. Thor wanted him to be treated equally, but that was clearly not going to be the case. He stared at the floor, thinking of all the things he wished he could be doing right now.

Suddenly, the world around him changed and he saw that girl he had spoken to through his dreams. She was being held in a familiar cage; the same cage Nick Fury and held him in as a captive. Something had happened with her since the last time he'd spoken to her, but because of the lack of information he was sharing with her, he knew she wouldn't tell him much, if not anything at all. She pounded on the green glass, trying to get out.

"Get angry," he said. She looked up, obviously hearing him. Anger showed on her face and her fists glowed with pure blue energy. Loki realized she had tesseract energy inside of her. She hit the glass once more and it cracked. But by then, he knew he'd made a mistake. The cage shifted and the air from the opening below the cage blew through the room. Nick Fury came in just to see the cage fall through the opening below. Loki was then thrust back into reality. That girl could die from the fall. Thor had escaped, but only because he had quickly figured it out and used his hammer. She, on the other hand, may not realize how to escape in time. He'd find out when he dreamt that night. If she spoke to him, she was alive. If not, she was dead.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! I hope my story doesn't go too out of storyline, but if anyone feels that it does, please feel free to tell me. I will take any criticism you give me, even the really rude stuff. I have a habit of going out of storyline quite easily. Thank you! Now, to the story…**

When I woke, pain surged through my body. The world was a swirl of colors, my brain trying to focus and put the colors where they should be. I coughed the pain sharpening. It seemed like déjà vu. Propping myself up on my elbows, I looked around. I had landed on hard concrete, and I could tell it was in the middle of a city. Yellow tape surrounded the area I had landed and people were watching me. I managed to get up on my feet with the help of some police officers.

"How did you survive that?" one asked completely shocked. I gripped my side and groaned while shaking my head. I couldn't speak; the wind was still knocked out of me. I sat in the back of an ambulance while medics checked my heart rate and cleaned all my cuts. The area I had landed was only a few meters from where the cage had landed as well. Broken glass scattered the ground and the cage didn't look like a cage at all. It was a giant mass of broken glass and bent metal. The ground beneath it was cracked as well.

"Well, as surprising as it is, you've just got a lot of cuts and bruises," one of the medics told me. "You don't seem to have any broken bones or anything major. It all looked worse than it was. You're free to go for now, but if anything feels like its getting worse, I would suggest you go see a doctor as soon as you can." She smiled at me and I slid out of the back of the ambulance. The police came over to me as soon as I did.

"What happened?"

"Where did you come from?"

"What was that thing?" I just shrugged and gave them the 'I can't remember anything' act. I already had amnesia, so lying to them was easy. I promised them if I remembered anything, I'd tell them right away. They dismissed the crowd of people and let me go. Though, even as the ambulance pulled away and the police began to clean up the big mess, people stared at me curiously. I quickly darted into alleyways to escape their view. Being the center of attention was the last place I wanted to be.

After I was sure no one was looking, I sat on the pavement of the alleyway I was in and tucked my knees up to my chest. I closed my eyes and fell asleep. It was dreamless and it felt wonderful to have relief from reality. I never spoke to him either. He never appeared and it was nice to have a bit of rest all to myself.

"Are you okay?" I opened my eyes and saw a woman looking at me. She had red hair and she looked at me with worried eyes. I guessed she saw the cuts on my face and arms. The sweater I had worn before had been shredded into a million pieces and the outline of it still clung around my neck and arms. I took off the remaining pieces and gave her a weak smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but thanks for the concern." Her brow furrowed.

"Are you alone?" I paused, but nodded. It began to thunder and it made me jump a little, making me look more vulnerable than I wanted it to.

"Come with me," she said. I was surprised, but I did follow her. She led me through the streets to the doors of a tall tower with the name Stark in big letters at the top. She smiled at me as she opened the doors to the tower. "If a man starts yelling at you, ignore him." I smiled at the comment and she led me to the elevator. We flew up to the highest floor and when the door opened, I was amazed by the room. It was big and was like a living room, office, and bar all in one.

"What, are we running a kindergarten now?" The man I guessed the woman had spoken of before walked up to us. One hand was in his pants pocket and the other held a drink. He had short dark hair and dark eyes. "Pepper, what'd I say about bringing children into the tower?" She whispered something in his ear and he looked at me. "Fine, just this once. She breaks anything, she's outta here." Pepper crossed her arms and smiled at him. He walked to his bar and Pepper turned to me.

"I don't think we've introduced each other. I'm Virginia Potts, but everyone calls me Pepper." She held out her hand to me and I shook it.

"I'm, uh…" I thought for a minute. I didn't remember my name, so I needed a replacement one for now. Coming up with one on the spot wasn't easy. "Tessa. My name's Tessa." The word tesseract had come to me, so I used that to help.

"It's nice to meet you Tessa. That man over there is Tony Stark." He gave me a wave while he was back to us, pouring himself a new drink. Pepper walked over to a large desk and began to do something with a holographic touch screen. I sat on the couch and, since I had nothing better to do, began to think about things. That night, I hadn't spoken to that man from my dreams. I didn't know if something had happened to him or it had to do with my fall from the Helicarrier. And, strangely, I felt… worried.

* * *

Loki didn't know why Odin wanted an audience with him. His sentence had already been carried out, though it was an insane one in every possible way. The guards led him through the palace, watching his every move to make sure he didn't attempt anything that would lead to his escape or the harm of anyone. They entered the same chamber that Loki's fate had been announced in. Odin sat in his throne, high above all in the room. Frigga, the only one who had really cared for Loki and treated him equally, stood close by her husband. Thor stood on the opposite side, not looking like he knew what the whole affair was about.

"Loki Laufeyson," Odin addressed him once again, same tone as the trial. "The trial that had been held had much false information. We cannot have other Asgardians knowing what I truly had in mind for you." Loki listened intently. Odin never lied to the people of Asgard ever. Whatever Odin was thinking was of great importance. "Becoming Thor's servant is a very unworthy punishment for you. I would never have considered it. But, what I have agreed on is something that Thor went through also." Thor's eyes widened, but he kept his mouth shut. Loki knew what Odin was thinking now. "You will be banished to Midgard, just as Thor was. You will have no magic or anything from Asgard. You will be as powerless as a Midgardian. If you kill any Midgardians, you will be brought back and executed myself." Loki's breath caught in his throat. This was his chance to find that girl and see her power for himself. But if he messed anything up, it would be the end of him.

Something moved in the corner of his eye. He blinked, but it was still there. He turned and saw her sitting there. She was sort of see-through, but he could still see her at the same time. She looked straight at him, though he didn't know if she could hear the conversation going on. He looked away and shook his head. When he looked back, she was gone.

"Loki," Odin said, interrupting the moment, "Are you paying attention?" Loki looked back at him and smirked.

"Oh yes, I heard it all. You're banishing me to that pathetic planet. It will teach me so well." He put as much sarcasm into it as possible. Odin ignored it.

"Thor will help you prepare. You will depart at dusk."

Instead of going back to his cell, Loki was led to Thor's room. The guards removed his chains and closed the door behind him. The two didn't speak to each other for a while, but Loki knew he'd have to break the silence eventually.

"At least I do not have to become a servant to you," he said disgustedly.

"The trip to Asgard will serve you well," Thor replied. "It taught me much and it should for you also." Loki looked away annoyed. Sure, it wasn't being a servant, but it wasn't something he desired to do. Who knew if he'd even reach the exact place that girl was in now? He could end up on the opposite side of the world from her. And who knew if she'd help him? He discarded the questions from his mind, trying not to think about it.

"How am I to reach Midgard?" he asked, wondering aloud. He hadn't meant for the question to escape his lips, but it had and he couldn't stop it.

"The small fragment of the tesseract in the Chitauri staff will be enough to send you there and bring you back," Thor answered, "Though it seems smaller than it originally looked." Loki froze. Smaller? But how? Unless… The sudden thought that maybe he somehow absorbed some came across his mind. That would explain the connection he shared to the Midgardian girl.

He directed his attention back to reality and prepared for his journey. He wore a simple long-sleeved button-up green shirt and pale pants. A black jacket covered his shirt and he kept his green scarf from his last visit to earth. Thor led him to Heimdall, the ancient guardian who, though their last form of transportation was destroyed, still kept his guard at the edge of the broken bifrost bridge. Odin and Frigga were already waiting for them.

"Loki," Frigga whispered sadly. He could see the pain in her eyes.

"Don't worry mother, I'll be fine." She gave him a weak smile, but he knew she still worried. She walked up to him and he gave her a comforting hug. She stepped back and Odin stepped forward. He grabbed Loki's hand and touched it with Gungnir. Loki held back a gasp of pain as it stung his hand, all ability to wield magic sucked out of him.

"Remember my warning," Odin said sternly. Loki's expression didn't change. The missing fragment from the tesseract appeared in Odin's hand and he gave it to Heimdall. The old guardian held it out to Loki. With one last look at used-to-be family, he placed his hand on it.


End file.
